Reid Apologizes for Incivility Against Cruz

On Friday, in a surprising sign that public pressure has impacted the Democrats’ government shutdown intransigence, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) apologized for the level of rhetoric used over the shutdown.

On Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) blasted Reid for attacking Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), reading from Senate rules banning members from attacking other members’ motives. Reid said, “I’ll work harder and I hope my senators will work to their best to maintain these habits of civility and decorum.” This week, Reid suggested that Cruz was “joint Speaker [of the House]” and called Cruz’s strategy on the shutdown “crazy.” Senators are not allowed to refer to each other by name on the floor or direct comments at one another directly.

Reid said, “I want to take a few minutes and talk about Senate decorum, Senate procedure. This is constructive criticism for the entire Senate, and self-criticism for me. Mr. President, I think we’ve all here in the Senate kind of lost the aura of Robert Byrd, who was such a stickler for Senate procedure. I think we’ve all let things get away from us…”